Lives are a Shadowy Business
by FeatherTrinity
Summary: RedSpark: Take a trip through a familiar black and red hedgehog's mind. Trapped in a world so foreign yet familiar, Shadow the Hedgehog finally knows his past. But what does that make him now? A short chapter story.
1. Chapter I

**This is a Redspark written fanfic. Unlike most of my fics I do not suggest looking up the song I based this off X.X or at least look for a clean version... I did not choose it! It was issued to me! (*coughcough*glares at Ravin*cough*) **

**Anyhow, I do like how it came out. I'm hoping to make this a chapter fic, so tell me what you think =p **

**I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog (or anything related to it) or any lyrics from You're Going Down by Sick Puppies.**

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><p>The sky was dark, completely filled with a thick canopy of choking black smoke. Any light that managed to leak into the black shroud from beyond came through blood red and only added to the sense of foreboding. Devastation decorated the surroundings with wasted ruins that appeared as only a shadow of their former glory. Flames licked the skeletons of unrecognizable buildings and cast flickering images on the smashed sidewalks. Cement slabs stuck out haphazardly like jagged teeth in a monster's gaping maw, and over this destruction reigned an eerie silence that sucked the life out of any remaining hope in the ruins. Not a single soul stirred.<p>

Far off the muted sound of crunching glass and debris came into hearing range. The sound came closer in a steady pace that seemed determined to get where it was going.

_Have I been here before?_

White, metal-soled shoes came into view, trudging along through the destruction with seeming indifference. The sound of tinkling glass underfoot abruptly ceased as the lone figure came to a halt in a small clear area surrounded on all sides by subtly burning buildings.

_Did I do this?_

Silence once again ruled as the figure stood straight with a dark and dangerous air about him. His fur was a glossy jet black with red accenting his eyes and sloping down from his forehead onto his the back of his headspikes like a royal crown. Thick red lines wrapped up the back of his arms, starting from his white gloved hands and disappearing behind his elbows.

_What am I doing here..._

Questions rang out faintly at the back of the creature's subconscious, like a piece of him had woken from a dream and was trying to make sense of it, but he ignored them. The anthro's ruby red eyes were piercing and achieved in appearing steel cold with detachment and red hot with a deep seeded anger at the same time. He glared intensely into a pile of rubble ahead of him, seconds then minutes ticking by wordlessly. He just stood there, waiting. Then suddenly something began to stir; from the pile, with much grunting and gasping for air, another figure managed to haul itself up and out of the rubble.

This anthro's fur was a shocking blue, but was dirtied and bruised, his head spikes bent painfully and his face discolored with one eye swollen shut. He staggered over the rocks at his feet to more stable ground, holding one cut up arm with a gloved hand. He gritted his teeth against the pain and glanced up at the black and red hedgehog. He managed a strained chuckle, an alien sound in the dead silence, and cracked a small grin. He called over hoarsely, "Hey, Shadow. How's it going?"

Shadow the Hedgehog narrowed his eyes at the cobalt form twenty feet away from him. "Sonic," he stated flatly in a deep and humorless voice. Positive that this was the reason he was here he deadpanned it: "You have been nothing short of an annoyance to me, a fly who just won't stay out of the picture. I plan to change that." Sonic straightened slightly in mild alarm as Shadow took a step forward and continued, "Tonight one of us shall fall. And Sonic," Shadow frowned deeper, "I can promise you that it won't be me."

"Sheesh, Shadow. You're starting to sound like the 'Good Doctor'," Sonic raised a brow then shifted his body to resemble a fighting stance, his usual cockiness shining through the bruises. "Bring it if you want, Shadow," he continued, doing his best to mask his real agony, "but we both know how this is going to end. Doctor Eggman will want you back in your cage before long."

A long tense moment passed between the two hedgehogs, Sonic apparently waiting for some type of reaction to the jab. Shadow closed his eyes and, in one terrifying moment, chuckled. The sound alone was enough to make Sonic suppress a shudder.

"Things are a little bit different now," Shadow smirked. "I won't be running anywhere," he said, his face falling back into a frown, "That pompous windbag won't be able to join us tonight."

"Oh, Shadow, I feel so loved," came a sarcastic voice.

Shadow's eyes flew open and focused on the man looking smugly down from the safety of his hovercraft. How did he get here? came the still quiet voice. The blue hedgehog was no where in sight. Shadow for some reason didn't feel surprised at the sudden appearance, but it was obvious he wasn't too pleased either.

The man grinned widely in arrogant victory, spreading his arms wide and calling out in a condescending tone, "Come now, Shadow, surely you don't think so bad of me. After all, I am the one who saved your life..." He smirked, "In any case, let us be heading home now. We have a lot to talk about." The doctor massaged his huge mustache, grinning and making soft cackling noises.

"Lies."

"Eh?" Doctor Eggman looked back down at the black hedgehog with a brow raised.

Shadow gritted his teeth and glared at the cracked concrete. Something boiled inside him and he let it be known.

"Lies. All you've ever told me are lies. Everything. I know who I am, Doctor, and I do not need your 'help' any longer."

"Oh, erm, Shadow -" Eggman stammered but was cut off as the hedgehog continued, voice growing a bit louder.

"I am no one's slave!" Shadow snapped, his fierce gaze locking onto the man above him. "And no one is my master." He took another step forward, deadly intent gleaming in his eyes. "Goodbye, Doctor." The words played in his mind, _One of us shall fall._

Doctor Eggman jolted back and put his arms up in a measly defense, but suddenly his very form began to crumble and dissipate from the crown of his head down. His body turned a monotone gray and caved in on itself like a sandcastle in the water, and even his hovercraft joined the accumulating pile of gray smoke on the ground. But once nothing was left of what had been Doctor Eggman, the resulting cloud of smoke refused to settle and it surged violently. It pulled up together of its own accord into a column that began to further morph and compress down into a short bodily shape.

Shadow heard the voice echoing in the emptiness before ever seeing the blue fur peek out of the shifting smoke plume. "Come on, Shadow, you don't really know anything about yourself." The remnants of the smoke trails disappeared into the new skin of Sonic the Hedgehog, now completely free of bruises and standing proudly on a pile of debris. His arms were crossed over his chest and he smirked down at Shadow, saying, "In all the time I've known you, you've never even had your own life. You weren't created to have your own life."

Shadow gritted his teeth and emitted an audible growl, anger steadily rising. How dare they tell me about my own life? He suddenly cringed and grasped his head in his hands as a foreign yet annoyingly familiar voice pierced invasively through his mind.

_'It seems to me, Shadow,'_ came the unmistakable voice of Doctor Eggman, _'that though you think you have discovered your past, you still really have no idea what you are now!'_

Shadow growled fiercely and ripped his hands from his head, livid gaze falling on the blue hedgehog.

Sonic, or at least the image of him, sported an uncharacteristically sinister air about him, his eyes mocking and heartless. He barked a dark howl of laughter that sounded hallow and haunting, before his form suddenly and completely lost its consistency. Much like what had happened with Doctor Eggman, the small form of what had been Sonic crumbled down and expanded into a mass of gray molecules, swirling and dancing about.

The gray cloud separated into two masses, one slinking across the ruins a ways and both rising up and condensing into the thick forms of two men. As the smoke settled into its new images, the details of each man became apparent. Where the one mass had crawled away and settled stood a tall man with silvery-gray buzz cut hair suited up in military garb and adorned with many medals and ranking stars. The man's face was hard and caused Shadow to pause - did he know this human? The man slowly raised his arm without a sound and pointed to the second man's back as though in a silent command.

Shadow followed his finger to stare at the second man. He was completely covered in black SWAT team clothing that was complete with a dark visored-helmet and bullet proof vest. This man raised his own arm in response to the first man's command and pointed off into the distance. It was as though he were aiming at something not really there, or something that Shadow could not see.

This scene... it seemed so familiar...

In his hand was... a pistol...

Shadow's eyes widened with the horrific realization. He knew what would happen next.

_No..._

The man aimed the pistol at an unseen target and cocked...

And fired...

NO!

Shadow saw red. He let out a blood curdling roar and charged at the apparition with nothing inside him but unadulterated fury. Time seemed to slow as Shadow came within three feet of the gunman, his fist reeling back in a deliberate and fluid motion as the two separate men suddenly dissipated and reunited as the familiar blue hedgehog. The image of Sonic was not quite solidified when Shadow's fist came crashing down into its chest, causing the Sonic faux to stumble back in surprise - but Shadow's fist passed harmlessly through.

The world seemed to still as smoke trailed up from the image and ribboned past Shadow towards the sky. Unheeded by him, the world around Shadow began to litterally unwind, as though the fire and the buildings were made of thread. The sky turned from the choking black to a sickly white with streams of gray smoke contrasting against it. He stared down at the unseeing and lifeless doll as floated down like a feather past his outstretched fist and settled at his feet. It laid there like a corpse, staring unseeingly into the sky. But for only a few seconds. The image of a half created Sonic suddenly blasted towards the heavens as blue tinted smoke, knocking Shadow backwards a pace and grabbing him up in the pull.

The ground dropped away from Shadow's feet and he found himself shooting upwards like a rocket. Smoke and wind whipped around his face with such ferocity that he could only flicker his eyes open for a second at a time, catching only glimpses of the white and gray.

Again, he didn't feel very surprised at this bizarre change of events. It was almost as though this had happend to him before, like in another life time. All of his senses were soon consumed with the numbing sting of the blasting air. But perhaps it was more than just the air. Numbness. It was all he felt. One sentence echoed in his mind during these events, out of place and mocking.

...though you think you have discovered your past, you still really have no idea what you are now!

And soon he felt nothing.

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><p>Shadow's hand twitched as consciousness began to seep back into his body. His muddled awarness did not venture past his eyelids, until in his confusion they flickered open for only a brief moment. His mind was unable to process the images of glass above him, and the dull metalic ceiling above the glass, nor the cold cramped unit he was currently residing in. He simply rested his head to the side, his eyes clouding over once again, and was ripped away from reality before having the chance to get aquainted with it.<p>

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><p><strong>A.N. Please review! Give me ideas... Thanks! ^_^<strong>


	2. Chapter II

**Chapter 2 is up! I'm thinking of upping the rating on this... cause its kind of angst-y... I don't know... anyhow, this chapter was inspired by 'Your Guardian Angel' by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. ****You really have to know about Shadow's past to understand any of this, and I hope I'm getting it right myself. It's a little intense at the end.. not really but I thought I'd warn you. Hope you like it! Review pls ^_^**

**Warning, some more dream weirdness up ahead so buckle up!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog (or anything related to it)**

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><p><em>BANG!<em>

_A single inch-long piece of lethal metal flew through the air, spinning like an expertly thrown football. The overhead lights shined upon the dull gray bullet as the sound wave behind it echoed and rolled around the room like thunder. It took its sweet time traveling towards its target, but, finally, the metal met its mark. Innocent blue satin was ripped and stained._

_Time lingered on that single image for what only seemed to be a few seconds, then decided to rewind itself. The bullet suddenly reversed its course, looking as though it were pulled backward by a string. The torn fabric reconnected the delicate threads and sewed itself back together at the entry point. The ripple of sound that had been let off came back to its source, being sucked back into the muzzle of the hand pistol accompanied by the bullet._

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><p>"All right, Shadow, that will be all for today," a tall man said smiling down at his patient. "Thank you for your willingness."<p>

Shadow grunted as he hopped off the white medical table and inclined his head towards the man. "You're welcome, Dr. Robotnik," he said. He then turned on his heel and walked toward the door without another word. He paused at the threshold, however, and glanced back at the man as the doctor spoke.

"I believe you will find her in the holo-room," Dr. Robotnik smiled knowingly.

Shadow simply nodded and continued on through the door without response.

Doctor Gerald Robotnik tweaked his long gray mustache and smirked lightly, but his grin soon fell and his shoulders sagged. His blue eyes were tired behind his ever-present shades and a soft mournfulness set into his posture. He sighed and stood there for a few more minutes, lost and alone in his thoughts and feelings.

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><p>Shadow took a steady stride down the long curving corridor, the continuous 'clopping' of his shoes on the metal floor following behind him. He nodding absently to the occasional white lab-coated passerby as they cheerily greeted him. To his right was a continuous window, curving along with the hall. Beyond the smooth glass was a vast black plain, ominous and magnificent in size. It was littered with glittering stardust and it wrapped like a blanket around the single massive orb suspended in space. The thing was like a shining marble, mottled with beautiful green and blue. Like a jewel that sat on black velvet.<p>

Shadow glanced out the window as he walked like he always did and stared at the oasis-like planet. Though seeing it everyday made it a common sight, his curiosity was still stirred with it and his imagination took off. He would go there someday, and finally know what it was like to have the sun above his head. That planet was a promise, or the everlasting reminder of a promise he had once made. A promise he fully intended to make reality someday.

Shadow's thoughts came back to the present and he paused in the hallway, looking over to his left at a marked door. It was just like any of the many doors he had passed on his way, shining silver metal and plain. The single difference that set it apart was the small plaque hanging discreetly next to it that read in bold print, "HOLO-ROOM."

Shadow stepped up to the door he'd been looking for and allowed it time to slide open before entering.

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><p>The emerald green leaves of the thick oak tree rustled in the breeze and shined under the glowing sun - such a beautiful sun! The sky was a strong royal blue - so blue! - and the soft green grass created a blanket that stretched across the plain, decorated with pink, white, yellow and blue wildflowers. A flock of pure white doves dislodged from the tree branches and took flight into that gorgeous sky.<p>

A young girl took in the sights with large oceanic eyes as she rested under the shade of the oak. Her golden hair flowed down at her shoulders, restrained only by a headband, and her smooth satin dress splayed out around her. She had her back against the trunk and sat in the grass, her hands daintily folded in her lap while her energetic eyes darted around and took in every sight that was to be seen. She smiled lightly and let out a contented sigh, allowing herself to lean back against the bark and close her eyes.

The faint clanging sound of metal on metal cut through the symphony of nature and awoke the young girl from her daze. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned to see metal-soled shoes wading through the grass towards her. She couldn't help but let a small melancholy sigh slip past her lips as the blue sky above her disappeared to reveal a high metal ceiling. The light from the 'sun' gave way to numerous overhead lighting fixtures.

She gazed about her and her eyes lingered a few seconds on a 'tree' that she could spot directly through a 'bird' as it preened its feathers. They were only tricks of light, mere illusions of solid objects. Now that their trick had been exposed, she could literally see through it all.

The heavy footfall had come to a halt next to her and now she turned her big blue eyes up into the face of the new comer.

"I can't wait to see it all for real, Shadow," the girl said wistfully as she turned back to face the fake scenery before them. Hidden speakers emitting the continuous loop of forced nature sounds filled the silence between them. She sighed again and leaned back against the thick support pole behind her, her back passing through the bark of the 'oak tree.'

Shadow glanced down at the small girl, frowning slightly at the despondent smile on her face. Even when she was sad, the girl kept on smiling. But... this type of smile bothered him. It wasn't the type he wanted to see coming from the usually optimistic young woman.

Shadow let out a breath and kneeled down on one knee to get to the girl's level. "You'll see it soon, Maria," he said and she turned to look at him. "We'll both see it soon." There was a pause as he let his words sink in. Then he took on a lofty expression and continued, "Then we'll finally see if Doctor Robotnik was right in telling us that that most of the people down there wear socks on their heads." He closed his eyes and shrugged, "After he needed _you _to correct him on the color of the _sky_, I'm just not sure about his memory anymore..." He was rewarded with soft chuckles and he opened one eye with a satisfied smirk.

The girl laughed at the memory of the Doctor scrambling for excuses to defend his claims. She had brought out one of the many books she owned on the earth's topography and atmosphere to confirm that the sky was indeed blue, contrary to his beliefs. She remembered him stuttering something like, _'Well those books of yours are much younger than I, and back in MY day...' _

She shook her head, still shaking with mirth as she said, "And to think, he thought the sky was green. A bright green that blended in with the leaves of the trees." She chuckled again. "Poor Grandpa."

She smiled up at Shadow, eyes devoid of the gloom they held only moments before. Shadow smirked, one of his rare non-threatening smirks. This was the smile he loved so much.

"Ya know, Shadow..." Shadow looked back down at the girl as she spoke. "The people down there are really going to like you. You'd be able to protect them... and you're funny!" she said with childlike innocence. "...Both of us down there will be able to help allot of people. Grandpa may get allot of things wrong about the appearance of Earth, but I think he's right about the hurt that goes on down there. They need help," she looked up into his face with determination gleaming in her eyes, "They need _our _help, Shadow."

Shadow was no stranger to the girl's passions and should have been used to her rapid shift in attitudes by now. He could empathize with her goal of wanting to help the earth-goers on a certain level, but not with anything near the vigor that this little girl possessed. She never ceased to amaze him with the heart that she showed; here she was battling for her own life right now and all she could think of was how those other humans needed her help...

He gave a swift nod and his tone turned serious as he said, "You're right, Maria. They do need our help. They need someone like you down there, and I promise to be there with you every step of the way. And I'll... protect them."

The girl nodded eagerly and a joy filled grin lit up her face, having full confidence that the hedgehog would keep his promise. She took his offered hand and was hoisted her feet. Now standing a bit taller than the hedgehog, she looked down at her best friend and beamed, saying, "Good. Now let's go check up on Grandpa before he explodes something - again. Last one there's a rotten Twinkie!"

Shadow crossed his arms and looked at the ground deep in thought. "A rotten Twinkie, eh? Now there's an anomaly..." But the girl had already run out the door. He smirked, a slight twitch in the corner of his mouth, and started walking towards the exit, deliberately giving the girl a much needed head start.

His slowed, however, and in the solitary of the empty room, surrounded by holographic wildlife, his smirk fell into a very small, very sincere smile - one only Maria could provoke out of him. He would keep his promise. But not for the earth-dwellers' sakes; no, only for the girl he had committed the promise to would he dare risk his life to protect them. And he would protect her, too. He would protect the girl and her smile to the ends of the universe, even if it meant his own life. He promised.

And his smile grew just a little bit.

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><p><em>Gun shots rang out in the darkness. <em>

_Glass shattered._

_The tranquil images that had been playing like a video were wiped away with thick blackness. Had they been memories? Or simply more illusions conjured up by this twisted world?_

'_Her name... Why can't I remember her name?' _

_It had been there, he had heard it. He had even seen _himself _say it, but now that the innocent play-by-play was gone the name seemed to have left his tongue as well. _

_In the swimming darkness another scene passed before his nonexistent eyes._

_He saw a dark room, and a small figure that was falling to the ground. He stared at it and its decent was slowed tortuously. It was as the small body finally touched the ground that he realized what it was - it was the infamous little girl - the child from his dreams. Her hands were outstretched towards the ground to catch her fall, but they shattered literally like glass upon impact. The rest of her body followed and bits of blue and blond glass skidded across the smooth floor. The majority of her body laid broken in a crumbled heap in the center of the room and shuttered as the girl took in a shaky breath._

_Shadow couldn't move, couldn't help her. He was unable to reach out to her, unable to do anything except watch. What happened? Was this real? Or was it just another -_

"_Shadow..."_

_His mind stalled like a deer caught in the headlights, and if he had a breath in this abyss it would have hitched. She was talking to him!_

"_Shadow...," came the quiet sweet voice again. The girl lifted her fragmented face towards him. "You... you forgot your promise, didn't you?"_

_He stared in with fixated awe, brain coming back as her words slowly registered. His eyes widened in realization._

'_N-no, I - ,' he tried to say, but no sounds came._

_The girl continued. "You... you forgot... to protect me..." a shining tear, glassy like a diamond slid gracefully down her cracked cheek. Something pierced Shadow's heart then, and pierced it deep. Words couldn't describe the feeling of utter failure and hopelessness that bubbled up inside him, and in that moment he relived one of his worst nightmares - he was forced to watch the life fade from those deep blue eyes. _

_The image faded and he was left alone in the dark. All around him were small windows to memories and visions, all floating aimlessly through space while their content played out and repeated over and over. Screams, casual conversations, gun shots, and even joy filled laughter rang out from the myriad of windows, but Shadow didn't hear any of them. He simply stood there. Only in the recesses of his own mind would he let himself divulge in this emotion as the last few seconds played in his mind repeatedly. The girl's words still rang in his ears._

'_You couldn't protect her... she's gone.' _

_Another voice bit into his mind. "You couldn't protect even a small child. How could you possibly protect thousands of others like you promised? If you couldn't do what you were created for, than what are you?"_

_...what are you?_

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: This is not supposed to be romance in any way! We all know that Shadow and Maria are best friends.<strong>

**Disclaimer: And I don't own Twinkies either xD I mean come on, Dr. Robotnik probably had Twinkies laying around the Ark. Those things keep forever! Good space food. Review!**


	3. Chapter III

**Hi! I am soooo sorry for the extremely long delay! ... honestly I could give you a list of excuses but they would just get lamer as they went on -.-' I'm going on vacation soon so it was get this done now or never =p anyway, again I'm sorry and I'm just warning you now that I probably won't get the next chapter up for a while, what with holidays and such. I also changed the story from being solely songfics because this ENTIRE chapter was written without the aid of music (excuse number one for why it took so long). Its longer than usual and you'll see some nods to the earlier chapters so pay attention! :)**

**And thank you for all the comments! :D**

**Storm337: (pst. pssst. you're the first commenter. ;D ) SUICIDE? D: I'd never be able to do that! Not with SHADOW! ... although I totally agree with you, torturing him is fun ;)**

**GodOfImagination98: Thanks! You liked it so much you commented twice! XD And thats perfectly awesome :3**

**Jessi: I'm so glad you like it! Shadow certainly has it rough for the most part, poor guy...**

**So! Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>"<em>It seems to me, Shadow, that though you think you have discovered your past, you still really have no idea what you are now!<em>

"_If you couldn't do what you were created for, then what are you?"_

_...what are you?_

The mocking words echoed through Shadow's brain, relentless and repeating until the voices lost all dividing characteristics.

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><p>Long black fingers scraped through the limp form's cranium, cutting deep into the soft membrane of consciousness. They stuck fast, twitching and tweaking the thread of thoughts that ran past the hedgehog's closed eyes. A deep baritone chuckle gurgled up from a throat like rising marbles and boomed through the dull metal room. The laughter died down and was soon replaced by a soft deadly hiss.<p>

"Oh, what are you indeed, Shadow?" came the voice, underlined with a subtle mocking. It chuckled again. "We both know that protecting a little girl wasn't really the reason for your creation... now was it?"

The talon like fingers twisted sharply, causing the unconscious body to convulse.

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><p>"<em>... We both know that protecting a little girl wasn't really the reason for your creation... was it?"<em>

Violent pain lanced the world he was residing in and the images of his every failure flew past him in a blur, disappearing into the dark and taking the memories of Maria with them. Shadow was left floating alone in the abyss, surrounded by black and swirls of deep crimson. The voices abruptly ceased and shadow took in the few seconds of silence like a gulp of fresh air. Those few seconds past much to quickly.

The crimson highlights constantly shifting in his dark environment suddenly flared up into a bright red, and the black clouds merged and swirled together in a flurry of wind and smoke. Shadow submitted to the feeling of vertigo, the type that can only be felt in vivid dreams, as he was assumably whisked away on the wind. He felt no alarm, however, at the change in events. These changes seemed to be his current life.

His feet soon touched down on solid... something, and as the smoke blew around him, a new voice penetrated his mind. This one was familiar, but so far away, much like everything in that twisted world... perhaps explainable as someone speaking from the other side of a door. It was defined with a very deep and bodiless tone... a sound very close to death.

"_Oh Shadow, you were created for so much more," _the voice said wistfully.

Shadow could feel flaming eyes boring into the back of his head, but he somehow knew that he would see none if he were to turn. As the voice finished its exclamation the rising pillars of black smoke blew away for dramatic effect. What was revealed from under the shroud was a sight seen so many times before.

Buildings that once stood proudly against the sky now lying in crumbled heaps, metal structures twisting out of the rubble, smoke drifting from small fires. The pavement was cracked and folded, the sky was filled with black and red, and not a soul stirred.

The only thing missing was the blue hedgehog.

When he had started walking, Shadow couldn't say, but as he trudged through that destruction like he'd done hundreds of times, the same questions began plaguing his mind.

_Where am I? Haven't I been here before? _He glanced around him. _... Did I do this?_

"_Lovely, isn't it?"_

This mysterious voice had a sadistic streak. As Shadow walked, he felt a presence join him, but didn't turn to see what.

The voice continued.

"_All this beauty opens a path to new opportunities, a new era! ... All with your assistance, Shadow."_

If he had been able to pause in his tracks, he would have right then. Of course he was trapped in his course, so he would have to cope.

_So I did do this... _His eyes shifted a smoldering pile of rubble that had once been a bus stop.

_... Where are all the people?_

In the back of his mind, of course, he had a pretty good idea of where they were. He narrowed his eyes just slightly.

"_Where they belong!" _said the voice, responding to Shadow's mental query. No surprise that his thoughts could apparently be heard by all.

Those words made Shadow grimace. Did this "other worldly voice" truly believe that this entire city had deserved to die? ... Had he himself really assisted in this?

Without missing a beat, the voice said, _"Such a fallen and broken race, the humans were. They were going to be their own demise." _The voice took on a tone of pity, a sound that didn't match the other menacing qualities very well at all. _"We simply put them out of their misery."_

Every thought that came to his mind that would argue that claim only became half-formed. Shadow's mind suddenly felt like thick sludge, not being able to process the lack of logic in the voice's words.

A soft chuckle vibrated the air around him and the voice said, _"They deserved it, Shadow. You agree..." _

At that statement, Shadow's view suddenly shifted. Scenes and memories once again ran past his eyes in a flurry of black, completely blotting out the wreckage of the city.

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><p><em>General Cloud stood erect before the rows of orderly troops, metals and stars dangling from his uniform and shining proudly under the overhead lights. His hard eyes scanned over his men and they stared back at him, silent and diligent. The background was filled with sounds of machinery and of technicians prepping the transportation. <em>

_The General opened his mouth and allowed his words to echo authoritatively through the hanger._

"_We are in a situation, men," he said as he began to pace slowly. "As you well know, Project Shadow has been determined as an extremely dangerous experiment. Doctor Gerald Robotnik has cut our communications to the Space Colony Ark and is, as we believe, becoming a very desperate man. He is currently in possession of very... sensitive equipment." He stopped pacing and nailed a few men with his gaze. "Potentially atomic weapons are in the hands of a senile old coot," he deadpanned as well as summarized. "You are being sent to neutralize this threat._

"_You will be deployed on the Space Colony Ark and you are to cease all operations of the Colony and confiscate any equipment you find. And if you are met with resistance..." his voice turned cold, "...you have permission to shoot."_

_If there was any sort of doubt or opposition to his statement, none seeped past the hard faces of the soldiers. _

_After letting the information sink in, the General nodded and bellowed, "Is that clear?"_

"_Yes Sir!" came the unanimous confirmation._

_After a quick glance to confirm that the shuttle transports were ready for takeoff, General Cloud once again faced his men. He lifted his arm to point with a gloved hand towards the transport for emphasis._

"THEN GO!"

"YES SIR!"

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><p>Shadow stared into the blackish-gray clouds and watched as the four shuttles rocketed through space to a place he had at some point called home.<p>

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><p>"<em>They're coming in through the docks!" shouted a distraught Gerald Robotnik, as he hastily took in the scenes playing on the numerous monitors. He pressed a few buttons here, turned a knob there, and flipped a small switch, grabbing the tiny microphone up in his hand.<em>

"_All personal, I implore you to keep calm and prepare for boarding. Please boot up the necessary firewalls to protect the data you've been working on, and as quickly and safely as possible put all bio-projects in proper safe-locks." He turned away from the mic quickly, and just as fast was back with a rushed, "Thank you," before he disconnected the Ark's comm._

_He spun around to face the hedgehog who'd burst into the control room. "Shadow," he said desparatly, "please friend, get Maria to a safe place." He quickly wracked his brain. "The escape pods!" he snapped his fingers. "In wing E. Go quickly."_

_Shadow, however, stepped further into the room and said, "And what about you?"_

"_I shall buy you some time," he said, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Don't worry about me, friend. Just keep my granddaughter safe."_

_Shadow seemed hesitant, but soon he nodded and turned, saying over his shoulder, "Thank you, Doctor." And then he was gone._

_Gerald Robotnik nodded at the empty doorway and sighed. The silence was short lived and thoroughly shattered when red sirens began lighting up and alarms sounded through the colony._

_He turned back to the monitors and beheld the sight of visored soldiers streaming through now open shuttle bay doors. _

"_They've breached the first line of defense," he said to himself grimly. "Now for the next line..."_

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><p><em>Shadow ran through the halls in a blur of light, fully aware of the flashing sirens above that told how serious the situation was. His only goal at that point was to find Maria and get her off the Ark. As soon as she was safely on a course to the Earth, he would go back and assist the Doctor against these intruders, if only to get the Ark's personnel to safety.<em>

Where is she? _He looked around, a concentrated scowl etched into his features. He was beginning to get anxious. What if Maria was wasn't even on this side of the Ark? What if she had gotten sealed into the docking sector with the soldiers? That thought sent his stomach into sick knots and he pushed it away. He let out a growl. _

Blast it, where could she -

_There! He screeched to a halt in the hallway and doubled back a couple of yards. He'd seen a flash of blue in a dark doorway he'd passed. He peered in and was about to call the girl's name when a figure leapt from the shadows and clung to him with a fierce grip. It took a second to register that the girl he had been fervently searching for was hanging on his neck and trying so very hard not to cry into his fur. _

"_Shadow, why are they doing this?" she asked, words slightly muffled._

_He placed a hand comfortingly on her back. _

"_It's all right, Maria," he whispered soothingly in her ear, choosing not to answer that question. "Everything is going to be all right."_

_He continued to hold the young woman in his arms even as his ears swiveled towards the direction of a threatening clang from whence he came. The soldiers were trying to get through the barricades that the Doctor had deployed from the Control Room. They were sealed off a section of hall, but the steel door would hold them back for only so long. _

_He gently grabbed Maria by the shoulders and held her away from him, ruby eyes connecting with ocean blues. _

"_The escape pods are your best chance for safety. We have to go _now._"_

_She stared at him intently, eyes wet but expression serious._

"_What about Grandpa?" she asked, voice steadying itself._

"_He'll be fine. I'm going to go back for him, but first -"_

_Another, more prominent clang echoed from down the hall, followed by the painful screech of metal being ripped apart. There were shouts, orders being given, and a pair of heavy feet was heard running towards them._

_Without a second thought Shadow grabbed Maria by the hand and began to run towards the escape pods, away from the pursuing soldier. He had to slow his speed significantly so as to not drag Maria on the ground, even as she diligently sprinted behind him. The soldier would easily catch up with them at that rate._

_Shadow gritted his teeth. All they could do was keep running. But just as Shadow was about to resign to that thought, he spotted the door to the pods just at the end of the hall. He didn't have time to even smile, though, because at that moment that single soldier came charging around the corner behind them, hands on gun._

"_Wait - Stop!" the soldier shouted, fumbling for his aim._

_Shadow's eyes widened and, without pausing in his run, pulled Maria infront of him and all but shoved her into the Pod room, flinging himself in after her. The door hissed shut behind them automatically, just in time to shield them from a barrage of bullets. Shadow slammed the 'lock' button with his fist from his position on the ground to ensure no one would get in from the outside._

_After righting himself, he scanned the room. Wide open space with gray metal floors, ceiling, and walls - just like every other room on the Ark. This was probably only the second time in his life that he'd entered this area, mainly because he had never needed to before._

_He looked down and realized that Maria was still sprawled on the cold ground, groaning from her impact. He immediately offered his hand and helped her to her feet, leaving her to smooth out her dress as he made a trek to the far wall. _

_All along this wall were open tubes lined up side by side, each about five feet in diameter. These must've been the escape pods launchers. He touched a hand to the chilled surface of one and poked his head through the opening. He took a tentative step into the pod and soon eased himself farther in, promptly beginning his inspection of the inner workings. If Maria was going to travel in this hunk of metal, he was going to make sure it would do its job. _

_There was a sharp banging on the entrance door as the soldier outside shouted, "Let me in! All experiments and personal are to be accounted for! *Bang* Open this door NOW!"_

_He heard Maria gasp and he swung around to make sure that the soldier wasn't succeeding in breaking in. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl move around what was presumably the control panels, and just as Shadow was about to step off the pod to switch places with Maria, a thick sheet of glass slid out and blocked his way. Realizing that the glass was the tube's safety door, he began to search frantically for a way to disengage it._

_His head shot up in the direction he had last seen Maria and he spotted her standing next to the control panel. She was gazing back with a calmness that unnerved him, making his heart slowly drop into his stomach. What was she doing? _

"_Maria! Quickly, let me out -" _

"_Shadow..." the girl interrupted with her small voice. She was looking at the floor now and small pools of liquid formed in her eyes. She continued with a shockingly steady voice. "You were going to send me to safety and then go to rescue Grandpa."_

'And I still will!'_ came the thought, but the words wouldn't form._

"_But they still think you're the bad guy," she said, a small hint of resentment surfacing. "But they're wrong. They are the bad guys." She looked up into his eyes with a fiery determination. "And the bad guys don't get the hero!" _

_Shadow was slightly taken aback by the sudden boldness in the little girl. But he snapped out of it when a there was a shattering and a groaning of metal from the Pod Room door. The soldier was breaking in._

_Shadow glanced at Maria, heart thudding with desperation. She had placed a gentle hand on a long lever protruding out from the control board. She was going to launch the pod. His eyes widened and he began kicking the glass madly in an attempt to escape. It wasn't supposed to be like this! _

_But even as the entrance door was being forced open with a yelling gunman on the other side, Maria kept a soft gaze on the hedgehog. A sad little smile played at her lips and she opened her mouth to say the last words he would ever hear from her._

"_The world needs you, Shadow. You can be the hero. Don't forget your promise." Her smile deepened and she said with sparkling eyes, "Goodbye, Shadow."_

"_Step away from the console!" shouted the man from behind his dark visor. He had made it through the door and was now aiming his pistol at the back of a little girl. He took in the scene: the object of Project Shadow was in an escape pod and a child was holding the launching lever. His hand was shaking._

"_Move, or I'll shoot!" he said._

_Maria took a deep breath and grasped the lever in both hands. She could hear the soldier cocking his gun behind her and could feel Shadow's burning stare. Tears began to pour over as she closed her eyes. She pulled the lever. _

BANG!

"MARIA!"

_The pod was shot through the tube and launched into space, allowing the hedgehog only a single second to witness her fall. That second burned itself into his memory._

_She had only pulled the lever half way. Then the shot rang out. She dragged it down with her the second half._

_Something snapped in him that day. For the first time in his life, Shadow had truly wanted to kill someone. He wanted to kill that soldier. He wanted to kill the man responsible for giving the soldier orders. That beautiful planet he had wanted so badly to visit suddenly looked very ugly. He wanted to end its exhistance for what its people had done to that brave little girl._

_Such a brave little girl._

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><p>Shadow so wished he could have closed his eyes during the scenes, but he had been forced to watch it all happen again. He should be feeling anger right then, but he was suddenly too tired let rage flow.<p>

Now, as he waited numbly for the voice to say something, he watched military reports fly by his eyes. There were reports of a mission accomplished, of Ark personnel registered, of experiments apprehended, of Gerald Robotnik's capture...

"_You do agree that they did not deserve to live." _The smirk could almost be heard in the voice. _"You would enjoy the state that the planet is in now - after all, you did assist in making it possible. In fact..."_

* * *

><p>"...I think its time you saw the fruits of your labor for yourself."<p>

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><p><strong>Cliff hanger! spread the word and review please!<strong>


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